Girdle



July .9, .1963 J. R. MARTIN GIRDLE Filed April 20, 1961 FIG. 1

INVENTOR JOSEPH R. MARTIN BY 1! a a I I I ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,096,769 GIRDLE Joseph R. Martin, Union, N.J., assignor to Flexnit Company, Inc., Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 20, 1961, Ser. No. 104,413 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-548) This invention relates to foundation garments, and more particularly to a garment such as a girdle, adapted to encircle the torso of a wearer, and furnish specialized control and support to the abdominal region.

Garments of the type designed to furnish support to the abdominal region of a wearer, as well as to mold the figure in keeping with fashion trends of the moment, generally resort to strong restraining devices such as boning or the like. Other attempts in furnishing a girdle With molding and supporting attributes have utilized highly restrictive elastic fabric, either in a single panel, or, as is more often the case, in a plurality of layers of such elastic material.

However, in all of such attempts it has been common knowledge that a single flat layer of material is insuflicient to accentuate the contours of the body. In order to arrive at such accentuation, resort has been commonly made to panels contoured at the side of the garment which, Where joined, follow the natural anatomical lines of the wearer. It is obvious that contouring of such panels as commonly known and utilized is directed toward, and results in a form fitting garment, and in no way influences the nature of the supporting qualities of a girdle or like garment.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a foundation garment which will lend support as well as mold the body of a wearer.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a foundation garment in which the molding properties will yield a more natural anatomical contour while avoiding the use of boning or other specialized stiffening devices.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an undergarment adapted to radiate concentrated stresses so that a more natural contour, especially of the abdominal area, is effected.

In general, achievements of the foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention is secured by providing a girdle having a contoured seam so disposed at the front of the garment as to result in an accentuated body line following current fashion requirements. Such contoured seam adapted to be disposed at the front of the body, is specifically reinforced by a flexible, non-stretchable tape along the vertical front edges of the fabric used, so that a degree of restraining power capable of providing the necessary compressing force essential for molding the tissues in the abdominal region of the body of a wearer, is provided.

The above and further objects, advantages and inventive characteristics of this invention will become apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of the present invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front plan view of the garment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the garment as shown in FIG. --1;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the central section of FIG. 34

Referring now to the drawings, the girdle according to the present invention comprises a central rear panel 3,096,769 Patented July 9, 1963 ."ice

11 having a vertical stretch characteristic, generally extending from the small of the back and overlaying the buttocks. Extending from either side of said rear panel 11 there is provided a left side panel 12 and right side panel 13, each of said panels 12, .13 having a. two-way stretch characteristic are secured by stitching -14, respectively along the vertical edges thereof to the vertical edges of rear panel 11. Panels 12, 13 are adapted to extend around the sides of the wearer, and meet at the front central portion of the garment 10, as presently to be described. The vertical edge 16 of panel 12, and the vertical edge 17 of panel 13 are specifically concavely curved. An underlying panel 18, having a horizontal stretch characteristic, is superposed upon panel 12, and a similar underlying panel 19 also having a horizontal stretch characteristic, is superposed upon panel 13, the central vertical edges 20, 21 thereof having a vertically extending concave curve matching and congruent to vertical edge 16 and 17 of panels 12 and 13 respectively. Panels 18 and 19, disposed to substantially overlie the abdominal region of the wearer, terminate in outer edges 22 and 23, such edges assuming at least one arcuate configuration, and are secured by stitching 2-4 and 25 to panels 12 and 13 respectively.

A flexible non-stretch tape 26 secured, by stitching 28, concave vertical edges 16 and 20 of panels 12 and 18 respectively while another flexible non-stretch taper27 secures, by stitching 29, concave vertical edges 17 and 21 of panels 13 and 19 respectively.

Non-flexible tapes 26 and 27 binding the vertically extending concave edges 16 and 17 of panels 12 and '13 respectively are joined by stitching 30, such stitching 30 may be a fa-got stitch or the like.

Enciroling the garment 10, and forming the top and bottom edges thereof, are elastic tapes 31 and 32 respectively. A plurality of hose supporters 33 are further secured to the garment 10, along the bottom edge thereof.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the central front edges of the garment bound by tapes 26 and 27 assuming a vertically extending concave curve, furnishes an opposing stress to the normally convex shape of the stomach, thus providing a degree of control unattainable in a flatly disposed panel against the stomach. By providing such molding and supporting concave edge by the provision of a non-stretch tape therealong, the stresses of a normal convexly shaped stomach is adequately retained.

The retaining pressure furnished by such concave curve bound by the non-stretchable tape will of course redistribute the fleshy area outwardly, so that the double layered panels, one being of a horizontal stretch characteristic, while the outer panel being of a two-way stretch characteristic, will radiate such tissue in the abdominal regional and thus result in a garment adapted to supply superior supporting and molding qualities.

While a specific embodiment of the present invention has been described, it is'apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein and such modified structure will still fall Within the amount of the present invention.

I claim:

A girdle adapted to encircle the body of a wearer comprising a rear panel having a vertical stretch characteristic; a pair of side panels having front and rear vertical edges and having a two-way stretch characteristic extending around the sides of the wearer to the center front of said garment; said side panels being joined along the rear vertical edges thereof to said rear panel; said side panels, along the front vertical edges thereof being concavely contoured; a pair of underlying panels having front vertical edges and having -a horizontal stretch characteristic underlying said side panels at the center front area 3 4 of said garment; said underlying panels along the front References Cited in the file Of this Patent vertical edges thereof, being concavely contoured and NITED STATES PATENTS congruent to the front vertical edges of said side panels; 2 628 353 Leventhal Feb 17 1953 a flexible non-stretch tape binding the vertical front edges 2849:OO3 Hine Aug 1958 of each one of said side panels and the vertical edges 5 375 7 Lobbenberg M 3, 1959 of one of said underlying panels; said non-stretch tapes 2,981,257 Kress Apr. 25, 1961 being joined at the center front of said girdle. 3,004,538 Laguzzi Oct. 17, 1961 

